Book 1, Water: Chapter 14, The Encounter
by justanotheravatarfan
Summary: The Fire Nation mobilizes in pursuit of the Avatar. Sokka comes up with an escape plan, but just as the three kids think they’ve eluded their pursuers, a chance encounter between Katara and Zuko endangers them all. KataraXZuko


Chapter 14: The Encounter (Book 1, Water) 

_**Summary: **The Fire Nation mobilizes in pursuit of the Avatar. Sokka comes up with an escape plan, but just as the three kids think they've eluded their pursuers, a chance encounter between Katara and Zuko endangers them all._

**Author's Notes:** This is the first in a series of fake new "episodes" that begin where _Book of Water:_ _Chapter 13, The Blue Spirit_ leaves off. For the rest of my "new episodes," please visit my profile page (justanotheravatarfan). I am sorry for any confusion or inconvenience caused by my posting these stories separately, instead of as chapters within a single story. I was confused about how things worked at first and am kind of stuck with this now. My version of _The Book of Water_ only goes to Chapter 19. When I start _The Book of Earth_, I will use the correct chapter format.

**Thank you for all the helpful reviews: **I've tweaked things a bit and reformatted my paragraphs so the dialog is easier to read.

**Obligatory Disclaimer: **I own nothing from the _Avatar_ world, but I hope to create something this fabulous some day.

…………………………………………………

A gentle fresh breeze with a distant hint of spring wafts through the ancient ruins of their encampment, as Katara and Sokka recover from their illness. Momo's lithe frame rapidly darts in and out as he forages for food and water. The poor little flying lemur even has to fetch the enormous amounts of grass and leaves required by Appa, since they dare not let the giant flying bison venture out where prying eyes may see.

For, the brother and sister both keenly feel a vague, yet pervasive sense of danger. Even the animals behave like something is amiss. Bold, inquisitive and chattering Momo skitters about silently in the shadows and exchanges nervous glances with Appa, whose normal sleepy and phlegmatic bearing is belied by the bristling fur along his spine.

Ever since Aang returned two days ago with the frozen frogs that cured Katara and Sokka's grave illness (as the half-mad herbalist had promised) and collapsed onto the ground unconscious, he has remained in a deep and fitful slumber. When Sokka removed Aang's clothing so Katara could mend the numerous rips and scorch-marks, he and Katara expected the worst. Yet, to their astonishment, Aang had sustained no serious flesh wounds – just a few bumps and bruises; some chafing around his wrists and ankles; and a pair of barely visible, criss-crossed marks across his neck.

Something feels terribly wrong.

What had Aang meant when Sokka jokingly inquired, "So, did you make any new friends?" and the boy replied with a tremulous sigh, "No, I don't think I did," as he lay down to sleep – a sleep from which he had not yet awakened? And why does Aang keep babbling deliriously about a blue mask?

"Who DID this to him!" Katara cries out angrily.

Then, Sokka mordantly adds, "And WHAT exactly have they done to him?" After all, nothing serious had apparently been done to Aang at all.

"It had to have been Prince Zuko," Katara suggests. But a chill runs through Sokka's spine and he replies, "There are worse things than Prince Zuko."

Katara fumes and sputters out, "Nothing's worse than P…" But her words trail off as she reconsiders.

Prince Zuko is a formidable enemy with a hot temper, terrifying countenance and a grim determination to capture the Avatar. Yet he doesn't seem as cruel, destructive or bloodthirsty as the Firebenders who had laid waste to the Southern Water Tribe's Cities back in Gran-Gran's day, or even the ones that she herself had encountered in Haru's village and on the prison ship. Prince Zuko could have destroyed her village, sacked Kyoshi and laid waste to the fishing village after the storm … yet he hadn't. Nor, Katara suddenly realized with a shiver, had he killed her and Sokka when he had the opportunities.

He just wants the Avatar. Alive.

"Sokka, why DOES Zuko want to capture the Avatar so badly?" Katara muses. "And why doesn't he have any other Fire Navy ships with him?"

"How would I know?" Sokka snorts derisively, "Maybe his family's dysfunctional!" Then Sokka grabs Aang's tunic from Katara's lap.

"HEY!" snaps Katara, "I'm still mending this!"

"Wait," retorts Sokka, "Let me take a look at this!"

Sokka examines the tunic closely, and declares, "The burn-marks make sense if Aang had a run-in with Prince Zuko … but the rips look like they're from arrows. I don't remember there being any archers on his ship."

"Yikes!" Katara and Sokka exclaim with one voice, their identical ice-blue eyes widening in horror as their olive-skinned faces pale.

"Someone ELSE wants the Avatar now."

Yet they both are too frozen with terror to utter Fire Lord Ozai's name. Even the wind ceases to ruffle Sokka's short, dark ponytail & the brunette strands of Katara's hair.

The hushed silence is broken by a loud, flatulent blast from Appa's general direction. The siblings giggle, as Sokka rolls his eyes & moans, "Aw, MAN!" but panic quickly set in again.

Katara gasps, "Sokka, we need to get out of here, and fast!"

But when Sokka finishes his own hyperventilating, he replies, "We CAN'T now, Katara. We have to wait for the new moon."

Katara protests, "But that's TWO DAYS away!"

Sokka retorts, "I know! But now that the entire Fire Nation may be searching for the Avatar, how else can we travel unnoticed with a giant bison, two teenagers in bright blue water-bending outfits, and a kid with bright yellow clothes, a bald head and Airbender tattoos, except by flying away at night when the sky will be too dark for people to notice us?"

Katara scowls at Sokka, then grimly nods her head in agreement.

Suddenly, a weak voice pipes up, "I'm starving, is there anything to eat?"

"Aang!" calls out Katara in relief, "You're awake!"

Momo chirps joy and drops two moon peaches in Aang's lap, which Aang greedily gobbles up. He then guzzles from the water skin that Katara holds to his lips. When Aang regains his strength, he recounts his trip to the herbalist, his encounter with the Fire nation archers, and his subsequent capture and imprisonment by Admiral Zhao.

Yet Aang's clear, gray eyes hold an uncharacteristic shadow of despondence and he is strangely silent about the particulars of his escape.

"What's up with the blue mask you kept going on about?" inquires Sokka, but Aang sighs, "I don't know, Sokka."

Katara tactfully changes the subject and tells Aang about their plan to fly away in two days with the new moon.

Aang nods his head listlessly, and then asks, "But what will we do for two days?"

"I have an idea," Katara declares. "You can teach Sokka and me everything you know about martial arts."

"But," Aang objects, "I'm an Airbender, you're a Waterbender, and Sokka … doesn't bend at all!"

Sokka backs up his sister, "Katara's right, Aang. Prince Zuko's one thing, but now that the entire Fire Nation is after us, we MUST be able to defend you."

As Aang reflects, Sokka zeroes in on his argument.

"It isn't ALL about bending, you know. The forms are important too, and you know them all. Jet holds his own without being a bender and so does Suki…"

Sokka's cheeks suddenly turn red, but before the teasing smirks finish forming on Katara's and Aang's faces, he abruptly adds, "And, the archers who captured Aang didn't do any bending either!"

Nor, Aang thought to himself, had Prince Zuko while playing his bizarrely improbable role as Aang's rescuer from Admiral Zhao's dungeon.

"Okay," Aang declares, "Stand here like me. The first things are your stance, your breathing and staying balanced …"

And the first lesson begins.

Two days later, the three of them awaken as the last rays of the sun sink into twilight and a cool evening breeze rustles through the encampment. As the impenetrable darkness quickly descends, Sokka declares, "I think we can go now."

They climb aboard Appa and Aang whispers, "Yip! Yip!"

The giant bison's shadowy bulk ascends towards the sky, barely discernable from the clouds, yet clearly framed within the round lens of Prince Zuko's telescope.

The new moon and cloudy skies enable the three travelers to continue for another five nights. "Wow, if this keeps up, we can make it to the North Pole in a week!" Aang exclaims.

"No such luck," mutters Sokka, pointing to the distinct, yet narrow sliver of the waxing crescent moon peeking through the clouds.

The three of them agree to seek a secluded encampment near water and food. A lagoon ringed by cliffs with a narrow harbor surrounded by treacherous rocks soon presents itself and they land.

Appa contentedly grazes on the abundant beach grass, Katara gathers water and firewood, Sokka spears a large fish, and Momo fetches some ripe and delectable fruits and vegetables for his friends, along with a few plump, fresh rodents and insects for himself. They all relax and feast by the campfire, then take care to put out the fire before dusk.

Aang, Sokka, Appa, and Momo soon begin snoring contentedly, yet Katara cannot sleep. She has mastered the forms Aang showed her over the past few days, but has not had the chance to try them with water. The gently undulating sea beckons. The crescent moon is barely visible and looks like someone far away has timidly cracked open a tiny, round door far, far away.

"I doubt anyone could see me," Katara reassures herself and ventures out to the beach.

Mindful of the lesson she learned during her last water-bending foray, she spies a cove a mile away where she can practice without betraying her encampment, and swiftly runs alongside the incoming tide so the waves can wash away her footprints.

Sure enough, Aang's lessons have helped her waterbending skills immensely. Katara feels powerful and at one with the water as she gracefully dances through her forms and the water flows with her.

But, her enchantment quickly vanishes as a silky voice from behind taunts, "Your waterbending has greatly improved, Katara."

Then, an older, gravelly voice adds, "Yet, it always seems to lead you into trouble."

Katara indignantly whirls around with ice-blue sparks glittering in her eyes and strikes Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh across their faces with the cold and bracing water-whip that she has now mastered. As the two startled Firebenders wipe their eyes, Katara raises her arms and inundates them with a tall wave.

The enraged and humiliated Prince Zuko hurls a bolt of flame towards Katara, who instantly puts it out with a spray of water. Zuko retaliates by viciously punching out two streams of fire with his fists and kicks out two more with his feet.

Katara smiles contemptuously and douses each of the flames with a quick spray of water, as though Zuko is a mischievous cat who keeps scratching the furniture. As the flames dissipate harmlessly into steam, Zuko snarls with rage.

"Temper, Zuko!" intones Uncle Iroh, "The girl isn't experienced – when she tires, THEN you will win!"

But patience has never been Zuko's forte. He spins around and with both hands blasts a torrential arc of fire towards the girl, who, panting with effort, raises a wall of water around her opponent. The Fire Prince yelps as a plume of steam rises from his watery enclosure.

Meanwhile, Sokka and Aang hear the commotion and climb a tree to see what's going on.

Aang grabs his staff and poises for take-off so he can save Katara, but Sokka says, "Let's not give away our position till we see what happens. I never thought I'd ever say this, but my sister's totally kicking some Firebender butt … uh-oh!"

Sokka's face falls.

"I've got him," thinks Katara to herself as she tightens the barrier around her antagonist.

Then she abruptly jumps back as Prince Zuko in a single, graceful motion dives through the wall of water, somersaults across towards Katara, and lands immediately before her.

His eyes gleam like those of a predatory cat's as he grasps her wrists tightly in his hands.

"Do you think your pathetic attempts at bending can keep me from capturing the Avatar, you water peasant?" Prince Zuko snarls. "Tell me where he is and maybe I'll spare your life!"

Katara bridles with anger. "How DARE you call me a water peasant, you … you … FIRE SNOB!" She stamps her foot and the waves rise.

"Time to fly!" says Aang, but Sokka recalls the last time his sister had lost her temper near the ocean – shattering ice and heaving up the enormous waves that had disgorged the iceberg containing the Avatar and his bison – and restrains Aang.

"Down boy. You've gotta see this," Sokka grins and rocks on his heels in gleeful anticipation.

Katara spits out, "I would rather be ANY sort of 'peasant' than the son of an evil tyrant like Lord Ozai or ANYone from the Fire Nation!"

Although Katara's wrists are caught in Zuko's iron grip, her hands wave wildly about as her fury increases. Above, the clouds gather in ominous thunderheads. Iroh casts an uneasy glance at the ship beyond the harbor.

"Your people destroyed our city and killed my mother!" Katara shrieks and stamps her other foot.

The waves rise even higher and Iroh looks even more nervous.

"The Fire Nation has probably killed our FATHER too! We haven't seen him in two years!" Katara screams shrilly, "And if THAT isn't enough, you've stolen my mother's NECKLACE – the ONLY thing I have left of my parents!"

The ship rocks wildly and 20-foot waves crash on the beach.

"Uh-oh," mutters Iroh as thunder rolls and a crack of lightning shatters the air and barely misses the ship.

"My ship!" Zuko gasps and turns to look.

Katara sharply brings her knee up and Zuko groans and falls to the ground.

"I have seen the evil that the Fire Nation has brought to the world!" Katara howls.

Zuko struggles to rise, but Katara buffets him with water whips and continues her tirade, "How can you people even LIVE with yourselves? I would NEVER tell you where the Avatar is!"

A huge wave hovers over Zuko as he blindly attempts to fend off Katara's attacks.

The girl screeches, "If I let this wave wash over you, that'll only be ONE less thing for me to worry about!"

The forgotten Uncle Iroh quickly intervenes with a nimbleness belying his advanced age, lunges towards Katara, takes her hands and diverts them so the wave crashes harmlessly a few feet away from Zuko. He backs her against a cliff, turns towards the bedraggled and sopping wet Zuko, who is now upright and walking towards them with a menacing look on his face.

"You decide what to do with the girl, Prince Zuko," Iroh says, with a glint of amusement in his eyes, and then wags an admonitory finger, "… And make sure she doesn't pull any more funny stuff."

Aang glances at Sokka who yells, "NOW go!"

Zuko pins Katara against the cliff wall, stands too close for her to move and clenches her hands securely against his chest.

He hisses, "You have great courage, Katara. But resisting is futile. The three of you are no match for the Fire Nation."

Katara meets Zuko's flashing eyes to return his ferocious glare, but, to her annoyance, her vision suddenly blurs with tears. He's right. Soon the entire Fire Navy will be here and this time Aang may not be so lucky.

The girl's throat catches, but she manages to reply, "It takes no courage to choose hope over no hope, or one fear over a greater one, Prince Zuko,"

The anguished despair clouding Katara's eyes seems oddly familiar to Zuko. With a start, he realizes he has seen it in his own mirror.

He feels overcome by a strange urge to pat her shoulder and say, "It'll be okay," then Zuko remembers that he and his people are the cause of her misery … and that of how many others?

Katara thinks she's imagining things as her opponent's fierce gold eyes widen and soften to amber. His hands linger on hers for a moment then slide away.

"Go, Katara," Zuko whispers hoarsely.

She blinks her eyes in astonishment and stands frozen as he turns and walks away.

Then, he whirls around, hurls a flame that misses Katara by two feet and bellows, "I SAID GO!"

Katara barely has time to collect herself as Aang swoops down with his glider and scoops her up.

When they return Sokka hugs Katara and sobs, "I'm so glad you're okay. You were doing great, but then I thought you were a goner!"

Then Aang chimes in, "But man, you were AMAZING, Katara!"

Sokka sniffles, "I'm so proud of you!"

Then, he clears his throat, collects himself and resumes his bantering role as the teasing older brother. "Though, of course, since water puts out fire, I guess you really didn't need to be THAT good!"

Katara grimaces at Sokka and mutters, "Yeah, you try it!"

"But seriously," asks Aang, "What happened? Why did he let you go?"

"I don't know Aang," replied Katara, "But maybe he won't bother us for a while."

For the first time in days, Aang's face brightens.

Sokka grimaces, "Yeah, right. Prince Zuko? Prince PSYCHO's more like it!"

Then he suggests, "Since we're not going to get any sleep anyway, let's get out of here. We still might have a decent head-start over the rest of the Fire Nation."

Iroh and Zuko watch Appa flying into the moonlight as they row back across the now-tranquil harbor towards their ship.

"So, Zuko," inquires Uncle Iroh with raised eyebrows, "You let the girl go?"

"The last thing we need, Uncle," snarls Zuko, "is an evil-tempered water witch aboard our ship."

"A wise decision, Prince Zuko," chuckles Uncle Iroh. "After all, it takes one to know one." Zuko scowls and says nothing.


End file.
